Assistant Program Director - Rustin House - Lantern Community Services Inc

Reports to: Vice President

Location: New York, NY

Salary: $75,000 - $85,000

Position Type:

This is a full-time, exempt position with a regular daytime schedule that may include an evening shift and rotating on-call responsibilities with the Program Director. Lantern staff may be asked to change work schedule and hours depending on the operational needs of the site and the agency.

In the absence of the Program Director this position may require availability outside of the standard workday, and as such must be ready and available at times to direct and support staff either by phone or in person if needed during the evenings, weekends and holidays.

Rustin House is located in the Upper Westside neighborhood of Manhattan with a total of 123 supportive housing units serving single adults exiting homelessness. These units are DOHMH funded by contract.

Objective:

We are seeking a dynamic and engagingAssistant Program Director (APD) who will partner with the Program Director in the overall management of the program. The APD must have in a mental health service delivery setting, working with formerly homeless individuals, and/or clients impacted by chronic medical conditions, substance use, and criminal justice involvement. The candidate is also required to have strong supervisory and administrative skills; and able to communicate effectively with colleagues, partners, and stakeholders to ensure quality services and program operations. In addition, this role requires attention to detail, a thorough understanding of relevant service delivery concepts and structures, including mastery in navigating mental health systems, and the ability to access the full range of services for recipients.

The Assistant Program Director is responsible for direct supervision of the case management team and plays a pivotal role in ensuring that clients receive services that meet regulatory and agency standards by leveraging individual and group supervision, reporting instruments, and regular chart review. In partnership with the Program Director, the APD helps to develop the aptitude of a high-functioning team in an environment that is an engaging and rewarding place for staff to work, and promotes a culture of continuous learning, professional development, and quality improvement. The APD is also expected to assume leadership in facilitating a culture where the values of diversity, equity, belonging, inclusion, and justice are explicit and well-integrated into program culture in a way that emphasizes respect for all members.

Essential Functions:

• Provide clinical supervision and coaching to the case management staff.
• Promote strategies that support learning and professional development.
• Review and approve documentation completed by the case management team and ensure high standards of care and high quality service delivery.
• Conduct internal chart reviews in collaboration with the Program Director.
• Review dashboards and monthly reports with staff to track outcomes.
• Participate in interviews with prospective clients and assess clients’ needs for safe transition to a supportive housing setting.
• Provide clinical supervision in the development of treatment plans and in assessing for safety planning with Case Managers.
• Identify community resources, facilitate referrals, and serve as a liaison with various care coordination agencies, health and mental health providers, substance use programs and employment providers to secure services.
• Develop supervision plans and accountability systems that manage reporting requirements and service standards.
• Ensure staff utilize a harm reduction approach to support residents around issues of substance use.
• Support staff in actively engaging residents through regular apartment visits, community outings, and escorts to appointments as needed.
• Develop and implement groups and programming that are appropriate for the residents’ needs and fosters a supportive and inclusive community.
• Collaborate with the Leasing and Compliance team to ensure housing stability; Assist in financial planning and budgeting to assist clients in meeting their financial needs and rental obligations.
• Assists the Program Director with hiring and training new staff, as well as managing the progressive disciplinary process in collaboration with Human Resources.
• Actively participates in staff meetings, clinical meetings, and community meetings with clients.
• Support staff in developing safety plans for residents, respond to and de-escalate crises as needed.
• Prepare, review, and manage follow-up of incident reports, as well as appropriate incident reporting to funders.
• Provide overall day to day program management in collaboration with, and in the absence of, the Program Director.
• Complete required reports as assigned.

Education and Experience:

• MSW or MHC Degree required (license required within one year of employment).
• Minimum of two years of supervisory experience in a supportive housing setting required.
• Knowledge of mental health, substance use, young adult and/or chronically homeless populations
• Experience working with OMH, DOHMH, and/or HASA contract managers and knowledge of funders’ regulations, scopes of services, and standards
• Must possess strong trauma-informed clinical engagement and interpersonal skills; be able to work effectively as part of a team and able to make sound assessments of tenants’ strengths and needs.
• Committed to working within a harm reduction model with individuals actively struggling with ongoing substance use
• Must have initiative, exercise good judgment and able to manage competing priorities
• Must be able to work independently with high standards of integrity, as well as demonstrate competence in working collaboratively with others
• Experience utilizing databases to document and report work with clients and staff
• Strong writing, communication, and organizational skills
• Commitment to integrating values of diversity, equity, belonging, inclusion, and justice as part of the program culture

Preferred Experience:

• LMSW/LMHC preferred
• Managing relationship with property management partners in Supportive Housing setting
• Experienced in facilitating clinical groups
• Fiscal management and oversight of program budgets
• Experience working with evidence-based models such as Motivational Interviewing
• Bilingual

Work Environment: This job operates in a supportive housing site and works with a population who experiences mental illness, addiction, disability, HIV, and other chronic illnesses.

Physical Demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to stand, walk, sit, stoop, climb stairs and/ or kneel. They must also use hands to type, handle, or feel. The employee is frequently required to talk or hear and must occasionally lift and/or move up to 5 pounds.